At this year’s BlackBerry World™, there are tracks that cater to virtually every interest. We’ve been featuring Q&As with the track leaders, because no one knows the value of their sessions better than the person who curated the session lineup. I recently talked to John M., Enterprise Mobility Architect at Research In Motion® (RIM®) and the track owner of Mobilizing the Enterprise with Custom Applications. John works with some of the largest enterprise customers to help them build and deploy applications for the BlackBerry® platform. He tells me there are several great sessions to look out for this year.

Biz Blog: If your sessions are about apps, are they only for people who know how to write code?

John M.: Actually, we’ve worked very hard to tell the story of applications without necessarily focusing on code samples. I really want the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server administrator, IT decision maker or business analyst to come and listen to these sessions and get inspired about building apps for the BlackBerry platform. For example, we’re going to talk about Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the session Deploying NFC in the Enterprise, but that doesn’t mean we’re going into all the ways you can invoke an NFC listener and parse the data. Instead we’re going to show all the cool things you can do with NFC and display some practical examples of the technology being used right now in enterprises.

Biz Blog: Are there any sessions that do get more detailed for developers and more technically-focused attendees?

John M.: We have the BlackBerry® 10 Jam that’s focused entirely on the developer community with an emphasis on BlackBerry 10. But I think developers coming to this track looking for more technical insight will enjoy How to Overlay (lots of) Data on a Mobile Map-based Interface. This is a hot topic for people deploying field service apps because it covers how to use mapping like Bing™ maps, Google® maps and BlackBerry® Maps. There’s also Develop Your First (Really Impressive) BlackBerry WebWorks App for anyone starting out with the technology.

Biz Blog: What excites you about developing for BlackBerry right now?

John M .: What’s most exciting about building and deploying apps for BlackBerry is that the platform has been designed with tools and functionality that are baked into the technology. The connection service that BlackBerry offers is that always-on service between the enterprise and the BlackBerry® smartphone or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. It creates a highly connected device that allows people to write unique applications. The BlackBerry platform is also a secure platform that has been independently verified by security researchers.

With BlackBerry® WebWorks™, you can create apps that run across BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry tablets – and future BlackBerry 10 devices – using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript® and this include access to our APIs, just like a native application. It’s that easy. That’s what makes this an exciting time to be building apps for BlackBerry.

Biz Blog: Are there any sessions that are focused on making apps more profitable?

John M.: I’m always looking for ways to show that enterprise apps can go beyond nice-to-have apps to inject value into the revenue stream. So, you might be using field service apps with maps that make your reps more efficient in moving from point A to B so they can see more customers in a day. Or maybe you’re using NFC technology to take mobile payments or take advantage of point of sale opportunities. You might even be creating forms that can be used to take applications for credit cards or insurance policies. Many of our sessions focus on the opportunities for creating revenue or efficiency.

Biz Blog: What really excites you about BlackBerry World?

John M.: Before I was an employee at RIM, I worked for a large financial company, and I came to BlackBerry World every year simply to see the Solutions Showcase. Getting to see all these vendors and what they bring to the table is amazing, whether it’s peripherals or software to help extend the value of your BlackBerry deployment. I would literally use the Solutions Showcase to set my agenda for the year and determine what vendors I would invest more time with at a later date. So registering for BlackBerry World is a must for me – it’s such a great place to learn about so much.

What is your development challenge and what do you hope to learn at BlackBerry World? Let us know in the comments.

The BlackBerry ecosystem encompasses a diverse set of solution providers from the mobile industry. BlackBerry World™ has always featured specialized content for our partners because we want the experts who market BlackBerry products to know as much as possible about the latest products and business opportunities. The BlackBerry Channel Partners track at BlackBerry World 2012 is exactly the place to get that focused and highly valuable information.

I talked to John B., who’s the track leader and Senior Marketing Manager for US Regional Marketing at Research In Motion® (RIM®), to hear what’s being offered this year. His comments should help you plan a diverse agenda for the conference.

BIZ BLOG: What is your goal for channel partners attending BlackBerry World this year?

John B.: We really want to inspire our channel partners to understand how to leverage BlackBerry as a complete ecosystem. Beyond the devices, BlackBerry has a rich platform with built-in tools, features and enviable security. If you’re a channel partner, we want to show you how to leverage our newest offerings for everything from mobile payments to applications and marketing analytics. RIM has specialized knowledge in these areas and we want our channel partners to benefit from our expertise in the sessions.

BIZ BLOG: Channel partners often want to know how they can profit best from BlackBerry – what are you covering along these lines?

John B.: What we have now are tools and resources that help build a complete mobile solution for their customers. If you look at sessions like The New BlackBerry Repair Service for Greater Customer Engagement and Satisfaction, we’re showing how offering customers added value services can help build new revenue streams. We also have sessions that focus on smaller businesses, since this market is a vibrant one for the partners who know how to market to these customers. Niche Doesn’t Have to Mean Small: Finding and Developing New Small Business Opportunities looks at opportunities across various verticals and how to help build a solid value proposition.

BIZ BLOG: Are there any hot topics you want to highlight?

John B.: For the carrier audience, New Revenue Opportunities with BlackBerry Monetized Services is an important session. I think everyone understands how to market handsets, regardless of the device maker. But what isn’t as clear is how a carrier can partner to create a steady stream of revenue-generating services, whether it’s custom billing or purchased services that are billed to the carrier. All those things are taking a quantum leap forward this year at BlackBerry World, so you’ll definitely want to register for these kinds of sessions.

BIZ BLOG: Are there any sessions that are more broadly focused on BlackBerry technology that Channel partners will want to attend?

John B.: One of the big things that anyone marketing BlackBerry is going to want to know about is our focus on Mobile Device Management with BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, which offers IT managers a way to manage a mix of mobile devices, not just BlackBerry. Few vendors on the handset side have done that. There’s an enormous value in letting enterprise customers know that BlackBerry offers this kind of trusted, secure functionality. I’d recommend attending any of the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion sessions, and specifically Balance Technology: Supporting IT and User Needs, Support iOS and Android™ Devices with the New BlackBerry® Universal Device Service, Introduction to BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and The New BlackBerry Device Service: Overview and Features.

BIZ BLOG: What really excites you about BlackBerry World?

John B.: When our Channel partners come to BlackBerry World, it’s a complete 360-degree view – not just hardware, software or services, and not just infrastructure. It’s all four areas covered in one place, so our partners can see how everything ties together to offer one undisputable value proposition. A lot of this information is not publicly available, so it’s essential to register for BlackBerry World to access it. Also, our product and service managers are onsite at the show so it’s easy to meet with them to ask questions.

But I think my favorite part of the show is the evenings, when you’re interacting with partners and customers, and they’re brainstorming and dreaming about what’s possible with BlackBerry. I really like hearing how people take the information from the show and develop their own vision for using it to build a business.

Have you made business contacts at BlackBerry World before? Let us know in the comments.